About OMN
Open Mic News is a new experiment in “open-source†news programming. In mid-February, 2007, the project went live. A steady rotation of different news hosts and their individual styles will be available for your enjoyment and education, every Monday and Thursday.
The intention is for this mix of hosts to eliminate single-host burnout, which can leave a show off-air for months on end, but also to allow the experimentation and evolution of new ways of getting the untold news across to you.
But why call it “open source� Because you too can be a host. If you feel you’re up to it, submit a half-hour demo show to the existing hosts and we’re more likely than not to give you a shot.
Don’t think you could handle a whole show? Well, we’ll be accepting audio reporters, experts and opinion pieces too. (though their use will be at the discretion of the scheduled show host) So if you have extra knowledge on current events, or have found yourself on the doorstep of breaking news, we’ll certainly want to hear from you too!
We all look forward to reading your news stories, listening to your reports, questions and (of course) feedback.
Origins
The inspiration for Open Mic News came from the Rant Radio news show NewsReal with Sean Kennedy, and it’s 7-month hiatus from June, 2006.
For the entirety of 2005, Sean had broadcast news on a daily basis, reporting on the news that getting missed in mainstream news media. In 2006 the wear began to show, and he was forced to cut down to weekly shows. Sean had taken the amazing step, you see, of effectively letting the internet employ him. He took donations to cover his living costs so he could dedicate himself to the news. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep him going.
Eventually though, and after another six months of weekly broadcasts, Sean had to call a hiatus. He went off to rejoin the Canadian army, sorting out his life, income and health.
Despite the fact that in January 2006, NewsReal returned to our ears, during those 7 months fans of the show bemoaned it’s loss. People passed around news stories among themselves on the Rant Radio forums, wondering how long the break would last. About three months in, ideas started circulating in the forums about having fans of the show fill in for Sean until he was ready and able to return. The idea got no feedback from the powers that be, so the idea began to change to creating new news shows in it’s image. A few people talked about it, and a couple of one-off recordings were made. It became clear though that simply mimicking NewsReal would not be enough.
It took another few months of planning in private, picking up ideas and suggestions before the site to manage a show could even begin being built. At the beginning of 2007, the ETA was assumed to be mid-February. On Monday February 26th, 2007, the first show is broadcast. Only one week over schedule.
Crucial differences
As it says above, one of the main differences between Open Mic News and it’s inspiration is that it uses multiple hosts on a rotation. Producing two shows a week, Mondays and Thursdays, with only four hosts means that a single host only has to worry about putting out a show themselves once a fortnight.
It also gives more flexibility to the style of the shows. Who’s to say that the classic host and audience format is the best way to convey the news? If you have the skill to sing the news, why shouldn’t you? If you want to do it as an audio-drama, why not? If you want to out-source stories to a selection of local reporters, go for it!
We want to get the news out there, as well as encourage a bit of experimentation with the format. Aside from the standard news-theme, the rest of that one hour slot is pretty much the hosts to do with as they wish.
OMN is also primarily a podcast download, not a web-radio baudcast. This means that when the show’s up to download it’s up to download. No lag between a live-cast and whenever the show is manually transferred to the website.
There is also the intention to get a number of the hosts together quarterly for an extended special review, going over the biggest issues and trends we’ve seen in the past three months. Certainly something not to be missed!
The similarities
OMN is also not censored, though we’d like to keep outright obscenity on the low. We actually want to keep what audience we get.
We’re also counting on you the listener to send us those news stories you’re seeing get missed out by the mainstream media. Take a look at the “SUBMIT” link to do so.
And finally, this show is free to download distribute as you see fit! Pass it on to everyone and anyone. Let the news run free.
The Theme
For information on the Open Mic News theme tune, please see this post.
The site
The website theme was contributed by the talented Douglas “Flash McCloud” Bouttell.
It was then sewn together and configured by the outstanding “Lance Leventhal”, our IT and go-to guy. This was done using Wordpress, Podpress and a number of other plugins and custom work.
Hosting is currently provided by SolidHost, who’ve been very helpfull.
